Invasion
by forestsofazarath
Summary: The invasion has begun and nothing will ever be the same again. BBRae, StarRob
1. Prologue

_Okay, I'm back! new story, original idea and hopefully better quality. Enjoy!_

**Disclaimer: As much as I hate to admit it, I do not own Teen titans or any of the associated companies.**

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_Just hide here._

Those had been the last words she'd heard from her mentor, Azar. Her ears ached for some sound, any sound to take her mind off the violence and her fear. A large bang startled her and she shrank against the wall instinctively, forgetting that there was no one there to see her. The lights had failed long before and she imagined all sorts of monsters creeping up on her but she knew that couldn't happen for Azar had sealed the room with magical and physical protections so her charge wouldn't be found.

Raven's purple hair was greasy from not being washed. It hung lank and limp and she brushed it out of her eyes. Her stomach growled and she desperately wished for some food. How long had she been here? Why had she been abandoned?

All of a sudden, there was a bright flash of light as the room lit up. Amethyst eyes began to blink rapidly, trying to adjust to the change.

"We found her! She's in here!" Raven flinched away from the noise. A stranger garbed in a travel stained brown cloak continued to speak rapidly in a language she didn't understand.

A rough hand grabbed her and pinned her against the wall. Her captor wore a hood that cast most of his face in shadows and was so close she could smell his breath. It stank of meat.

"Where is she, wench?" The man made an attempt to speak in her native tongue but he had a strong accent and slurred his words.

Raven shook her head slowly, unsure of who he was talking about.

"Answer me!" She shook her head again. Where was Azar?

"Azar!" she called out, the same way a child called to their mother for help. But after days of not drinking, her throat was parched dry. She could barely manage to speak, her throat hurt too much.

"Yes, Azar! Where is she?"

Piercing yellow eyes focused on her intently and she shivered with fear. He was rocking back and forth on his heels impatiently.

Raven pursed her lips tightly together, refusing to say a word. She might be young but she wasn't stupid. These people meant her and Azar ill. She wasn't about to betray Azar's trust, not now, not ever!

"TELL ME!"

"I can't!"

His voice took on a menacing tone. "Can't? Or won't? Maybe you need some… motivation?"

Too late she realized it would have been better if she'd kept her mouth shut. A stinging blow hit the side of her face and she almost fell over with the sheer force of the blow. A kick to the gut winded her and had her down on the ground whimpering. She curled up into the fetal position as blow after blow fell down on her. Salty tears began to fall as Raven began to cry.

The pain stopped and for a while, all Raven could see was black boots. It was a while before she'd recovered enough to think rationally and look up. Her captor was staring intently at the doorway where another black clad figure dueled with a tall lady in a white cloak. Long dark blue tresses tumbled down to her shoulders and her sapphire eyes were intent and focused. It was none other then High Priestess Azar.

The dark figure wielded a long wooden staff and for a moment, Raven was convinced Azar was going to win. The priestess' hand glimmered as the staff came down and it struck an invisible wall. Hand to hand combat commenced with Azar holding her own. She was beautiful and fierce- like a dark panther, sleek and elegant but deadly. A blow sent her adversary spinning across the room into the far wall. She hurried over and knelt down over Raven.

"I'm sorry I left you- is anything broken? What did they do to you?" Her hands expertly checked for breaks and finding none she straightened. "We haven't much time. It won't be long. Can you stand?" Raven smiled but shook her head. Azar was here, everything was going to be alright.

She looked up into Azar's face and held up her hand for help that would never come as she tried to get up. A moment of shock and then pain passed through Azar's face for a moment. They had forgotten Raven's torturer, the second guard. With a sickening squelch, he pulled the bloody dagger out. Azar crumpled to the ground, as her life's blood left her. With the last of her strength, she turned to face her young charge. Her eyes were a mixture of love and pain.

"I'll watch over you, Raven." She whispered before the man stabbed her again. He kicked her dead body and stepped over her. Raven stared in shock, her young mind trying to find a rational explanation for what had just happened. Raven backed away into a corner as the man approached. This wasn't supposed to happen!

He reached towards her and she flinched involuntarily before whimpering. "Go away…I don't like you…"

"Too bad, little missy." He leaned in close. "You don't have to like me."

He brought his foot up and for one moment, seven year old Raven Roth realized nothing was ever going to be the same again as his boot came crashing down on her face.

And through the misty haze of pain, Raven saw her mentor smiling down at her before her world gave way to black.

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Ok... so how was it? Any better? Let me know and REVIEW!

xoxo Amethyst


	2. 10 years later

Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Yes, I changed my username but don't worry, I won't change it again. Anyway, you probably want to read the story so enjoy!

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The Mistress leaned back on her chair and sighed theatrically. She was a tall woman with steel grey hair tied up in a tight bun. She was old certainly, but that didn't hinder her at all and she was just as fast and lethal as she was when she was young. As leader of the Psions, what she wanted, she got. And no one who valued their lives wronged her. 

Ten years ago, Azar, High Priestess of Azarath had refused to surrender and let Azarath become part of Psion Empire. For this defiance she had been killed, her people taken as slaves and their homeland and cities destroyed.

The Mistress motioned with one elegant tapering finger for a slave to come near.

"Fan me."

A girl with purple eyes and hair stepped up holding a fan. Although she was taller then the Mistress, it was obvious who was in charge. A leather slave collar was fastened around her neck, contrasting with her pale skin. She held an elaborate fan that resembled a palm leaf and she curtsied before approaching the Mistress.

The Mistress smiled as she enjoyed the cool breeze before snapping her fingers. Hurridly, one of the slaves approached her.

"Fetch the Battlemaster. Now."

The slave bowed deeply and scurried off. He returned moments later with the Battlemaster, general of the Mistress' armies and military force.

"Your Majesty, you summoned me. What is it you require?"

"How is the situation with Tamaran? Have our armies succeeded yet?"

The Battlemaster bowed. "Not yet, Majesty. But victory is imminent. We have captured Princess Koriand'r and as we speak, the Queen and King are dying from poison. Without a ruling family, Tamaran shall fall."

The Mistress smiled thinly. "Good. I wish to see the Princess. Bring her here."

The Battlemaster nodded before striding arrogantly out of the room. He returned moments later with three other guards and the Princess.

The slave fanning the mistress faltered for a moment when she saw the Princess. There was no other way to put it- Princess Koriand'r was beautiful. Scarlet hair tumbled down her back and emerald green eyes with long lashes blinked. She had the body of an athlete and it curved in all the right places. Even in rags, she was pretty but no amount of beauty could mask her anger.

"Release me now, _Mistress_." The Princess spat the word as if it was a curse. Her wrists were manacled together so that even her extraordinary strength could not break her free of them.

"It wouldn't hurt for some respect, Princess." she murmured.

Koriand'r drew herself up to her full height and the guards stepped in around her, waiting for the order to subdue her.

"I'll give you some when you earn it." she hissed vehemently and her eyes glowed green.

The Mistress stiffened. "How dare you," Her face was a mask of rage.

"How dare you! Guards!" she screeched, "Take her to the solar chambers! Let us see what secrets this Princess has to spill!"

Guards began to approach the Tamaran Princess, prepared to forcibly drag her from the room. The slave looked and watched. Her fingers itched to help but her sense of self-preservation overrode.

Princess Koriand'r kicked and her foot struck a guard. That was all the distraction she needed as she sprung into the air. A guard leaped up after her, only to be hit over the head with the manacles. Desperately, the Princess flew around in circles, trying to find some way out or something that could break her chains.

The slave's eyes widened as the guards threw up a net. The princess saw it at the last moment and swerved but her foot caught, sending her tumbling head over heels towards the Mistress. The Mistress stepped out of the way but her purple haired slave froze to the spot. Too late she realized the inevitable and rushed to get out of the way but failed. The Tamaran princess collided with the slave and both fell over in an undignified heap.

"Get up." The Mistress' voice was icy as she surveyed the damage. Her slave leapt up immediately, wincing as her knee cracked. Princess Koriand'r was a little woozy from her fall and the guards were quick to act. Before she realized what was happening, she was slung over a guard's shoulder.

"As I said, take her to the Solar Chambers. I will deal with her later." The Mistress fixed ice blue eyes on her rumpled slave, "You are not fit to be seen in my company. Go until I call for you again."

The slave curtsied before leaving the room, trembling. If the Mistress noticed the trembling, she probably associated it with fear. Raven's fists clenched. Something had happened today, with that brief encounter with the Tamaran Princess. No one who entered the Solar Chambers survived.

As she left the room, her hand fingered the leather collar around her neck absentmindedly. It had been nearly ten years since Azar's death and she'd dealt with this long enough. She was sick and tired of being treated as dirt, an animal. She hated her collar with its magical properties to freeze her in place if she disobeyed her Mistress. Literally. The only reason she had obeyed was that she didn't fancy becoming one of the Mistress' many ice statues.

But the Mistress didn't know everything. Raven's magical ability had grown over the years and she felt she was ready. She would begin by freeing the Princess and then she would avenge Azar.

Raven grinned haplessly. _The Mistress had better watch out,_ she thought.

_Raven Roth was out for revenge._

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Oh, and can you **please** please review? If you're reading this, and decide you don't like it or think that reading this was a waste of time, don't just click the back button! Review and let me know where I went wrong so I can improve and make this story one worth reading. 

xoxo

Amethyst


	3. Keys

_This took ages… school's started up and all that. Thank you for being so patient!!! And thank you so so much to my kind reviewers._

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans or any of the affiliated companies. I wish I did though…

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**Koriand'r's POV**

I was dazed and disoriented, unable to get my bearings as the guard dragged me towards the holding cells. I wanted to fight, but I couldn't. A red haze of pain and confusion made me groggy and it was all I could do to stumble along blindly.

We turned the corner and all of a sudden, everything around me was a blur of noise. The air seemed thick with despair. My skin prickled and the hair on the back of my neck stood up. Every fiber of my body rebelled against being here. I knew without a doubt, that if I stayed, it would mean death. It was only now that I was beginning to understand the consequences of my actions.

People were hauled forcibly to their feet and dragged out of the cells into the corridor. I could hear them scream and sob as they pleaded desperately for mercy. A little girl, not much older then 5 or 6, screamed and clutched desperately at an older woman. "Not my mummy!" she bawled, "No no no _no_ NOOO!" The guard silenced her with a blow that left her on the floor, holding her head. Around her, prisoners looked on. My breath caught. What kind of hellhole was this? The child was within full view of everyone yet no one stopped to protect her from the cruel onslaught. Her cries of pain tore at my heart but restrained like this, I had no chance of helping. My eyes scanned the crowd in the hopes that one would stop and help but they seemed indifferent to the girl's suffering. Many of them turned their heads away, as if unable to watch. Their eyes had lost any hope they might have once had. All of them were broken, desperate people.

The inevitable truth broke over me in a wave and I swayed. How long would it be until I became one of them- oblivious to the pain and hurt of others? I was swamped with the reality of it- if I stayed, I would die and my compassion with me.

Desperately, I broke away from the guard and turned to run.

Something hit me in my gut. A ringing blow hit the back of my head and I fell forward. Hard. I lay dazed on the ground, gasping for breath.

The guard picked me up and threw me into the cell unceremoniously. I lay there, tears pricking my eyes, my whole body a mass of bruises and aches. Right now, my life seemed to be a nightmare- but one I knew I would never wake up from. The prisoners moved to make space for me, but that was the extent of their sympathy. I was treated with the same indifference as the girl- I was just another victim out of many.

I tried to clear my head, concentrate on an emotion to fight my way out but every breath I took caused pain and so I lay on the floor, incapable of doing anything else. Incoherent thoughts drifted around my head, foggy and unfocused.

The crowd jostled me slightly and yet another surge of pain swamped but this time, I welcomed it with open arms as I greeted unconsciousness.

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**Raven's POV**

Surely my plan would not work. Someone would soon discover me before I could continue. I trembled, half expecting arms to reach down and grab me. Fear gripped me for a moment and my breath caught before I shook my head. I was scaring myself and I needed to stay focused on my task.

Delicious, mouthwatering smells wafted past. I was hiding right outside the kitchens. It was a hive of activity as servants and slaves alike carried dishes to and fro. Each was a culinary masterpiece but magnificent as they were, only a few of them would be selected to be eaten and even fewer to be fed to the Mistress.

The Mistress. My body tensed at the thought of her and a surge of power rolled through me. Something was going to explode if I wasn't careful. Slowly, I forced myself to relax. If all went well, I wouldn't have to deal with the Mistress much longer.

The Psion Empire thrived on the slave market but if those of the nobility liked or favored a slave, they were allowed to "free" them and make them their servant. The process was simple enough- a noble's kiss was enough to dissolve the magic in the collar and change its color. Servants wore silver collars with their symbol of their master, or mistress burnt on. Once you were a servant, you had to serve one master for twenty years. At the end of this, you would be granted your freedom. If you survived until then, that was.

I glanced again at the entrance to the kitchens. The stream of servants and slaves running out of the doors was slowing. Good. It was almost time.

When I was sure there would be no more, unwelcome distractions, I stole out of my hiding place. A maidservant gave a startled gasp as I walked past. I hoped she did not notice the slight sheen of sweat on my skin and fought the urge to wipe my brow as I passed.

_Act like you belong here!_ Great. Now I was offering myself advice. I sighed, took a deep breath, wrapped my cloak around me tightly before walking forward.

"Late again, girl," she scowled at me, twirling the rolling pin in her hand. I flinched. The Head Cook was nearly as testy as the Mistress herself, and that was saying something. She gave me a disapproving look before handing me the dishes.

"You should know where that goes by now girl." scowled the cook and I bit back an urge to tell her to use my name. But I was supposed to be playing the part of a meek and obedient slave so I tried to look cowed, which was more difficult then I expected. The best I got was a slight grimace. I hoped it would do. It didn't.

"Don't you scowl at me, girl!" the cook banged the rolling pin down on the table like a gavel. The whole kitchen gave a start at the loud and unexpected noise, including me although I tried hard to hide it. Scathing words bubbled to the tip of my tongue and I almost tripped in my rush to get away. My grip on self control was precarious and I focused on suppressing the urge to turn around and give the cook a piece of my mind.

Stone grey walls twisted and turned in every direction. The air was slightly chilly and I shivered. I focused as I walked through a twirling labyrinth of passageways, turns and murky corridors. My destination was the guards' tower. Finally, I reached the door. I reached out a hand to turn the handle before remembering something. Reluctantly, I unclasped my cloak and let it fall to the floor. A miniature portal opened up, swallowing the cloak and teleporting it back to my sleeping quarters.

As soon as I walked through the door, I could feel the prickling of eyes watching me. My hand instinctively jerked up to pull the hood of my cloak down… but I had taken it off. What I had been wearing underneath could now be seen.

I fingered the hem of the deeply cut lavender silk/satin shirt that I was wearing nervously. It was slightly see through and left little to the imagination- which was precisely the reason I had chosen it. A black mini skirt that was more mini then skirt showed off my slender legs. I had knee high black boots and my hair hung loose to my shoulders.

Someone, most likely one of the male guards, gave an appreciative wolf whistle. I blushed and scurried forward, holding the plate of food. Halfway through, I remembered what I was trying to do and began to sway my hips slightly as I walked.

I fluttered my eyelashes at the guard, feeling like a complete imbecile. While handing the food over I leaned towards him slightly and smiled. I had seen others do this and always thought it was a waste of time and here I was trying it myself.

The guard blinked, slightly bewildered before smiling slowly. I didn't like the smile- it made me feel very uneasy. As I stepped away, his hand snaked out and grabbed me. I almost slapped him right there and then but instead smirked at him before gently breaking free. I gave him a sideways glance, the sort that a woman might use when she like what she saw. The guard gave no obvious sign that he'd noticed but as I turned to leave his chest puffed up slightly with self pride and importance.

As I walked away, I silently recoiled in horror and fought the urge to completely sterilize the area where he'd touched me. It was worth it though, and I grinned at the keys I now held in my hand.

_Men,_ I thought contemptuously. _So easily distracted._

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos," I murmured and stepped through the portal. I had until the end of the banquet to break the prisoner free… if I was lucky.

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